Tyler is more or less an average child. He was an only child, with a mother and father that loved him very much. He has a big heart and loves helping others. He is in a missionary group of people like him who also love helping. He sometimes gets picked on by other children because they think he is weird. Tyler is in the tenth grade and is becoming depressed. He cannot find the joy he once knew. He wants to reach out to others, but he believes nobody cares. The thoughts of “Why am I still here?” and “Is life even worth living?” always find their way back to his mind.

The constant bullying only got worse. Now it has escalated to full on insults spat out at his face. The one thing keeping him going is love for others that are less fortunate. Tyler is jumping with joy, because this is the day that he is leaving for a missionary trip to Haiti. He always loves spreading the love of God to those who need it most. Haiti had recently gotten hit by a hurricane, so now they need the help more than ever. Once he arrived, he saw exactly what he thought he would see. Families on the streets begging for food, money and shelter, and buildings were destroyed to the point beyond recognition. They all cheered up when they saw him. They greeted him warmly and he got straight to work. Weeks passed and the state of Haiti was getting better, for it was a large missionary group helping. 

Once he got back, all of the happiness turned straight to sadness. The kid that has been picking on him, Alex, joined the missionary group. Tyler could tell Alex was only in it to make it miserable for him. When the head of the missionary group introduced him, he gave Tyler the stink eye. Alex made the one thing that once kept him going a dread more than a relief. What was once a place to escape was ruined by constant name calling and being tripped while walking. Tyler finally he had an answer for the thoughts bouncing around in his head. He saw no other way to put an end to what felt like an eternal suffering. 

He felt doubt as he loaded up the revolver. Was this really his only way? The voice of rage and suffering confirmed this was the only true way to put an end to all of this.

As he fired the gun, he felt regret for what he had just done. He died that day. His mother came home horrified and wept for the loss of her son. She found a note beside his body. It read,”I did not expect this to be the way it ended. I want all of my family members to know I love all of you and goodbye.” As his mother read it, she imagined her son’s voice reading it aloud to her. On the back was an attached will, and on it, it said he wanted everything he owned to go to bullying awareness and prevention.

The funeral was going to be next Friday. She invited everyone who Tyler knew, even Alex. In the days leading up to the funeral a lot happened. Word spread like a wildfire about Tyler’s death. Everyone knew about it, and everyone knew who was the cause. Alex felt as if he had actually killed a man. He really felt horrible about his actions toward Tyler. He wanted to prepare to speak at the funeral.

The funeral was a somber event. Everyone dressed in black which made the whole town seem gloomy. Alex’s speech only made it sadder.

“Hello, everyone! I am Alex. I am here to say a few words in memory of Tyler. He was a great person and I am sorry for my actions toward him. I was cruel and I am forever encumbered by that. Truly, I was jealous of how good a person he was. I knew I could never be as good as he was. I was a bully and I was only a bully because I was jealous.” The funeral proceeded as usual.

After the funeral, people came up to Alex. He all thought they would be mean to him because he was the cause of Tyler’s death. A lot of people actually congratulated him for a good speech. He stressed to them that he would always be haunted by the fact that he was the cause of a suicide. He made a vow to himself that he would never bully again. Even after death, Tyler’s kindness was remembered.